Lubricating apparatus



Feb. 9, 1937. s. J. KRANNAK 2,070013 LUBRICATING APPARATUS Filed April 29 1935 ali O Il M {Illia/69W 0 2 2 w 3.

Patented Feb.L 9, 1.93.7

UNITED STATES PATENTloFFicl-:l

` 2,010,013 LUBRICATING APPARATUS 1 StevenJ. Krannak, Minneapolis, Minn., assigner v to Min-A-Max Co., Inc., Minneapolis, Minn.,.a

corporation of Minnesota Application Ain-11 29, 1955, serm'No. 18,755

My'invention relates'generally to high pressure lubricating apparatus, and more particularly to an improved coupler for high pressure grease guns.` )The bearings of automobiles and other machinery are generally equipped with lubricant re- 'ceiving fittings of one of several different types. In one of these types the ttings are formed with a small head having an inlet opening of very small diameter in its end face. A number of different types oi' couplers have been devised for making .a lubricant-tight connection between a grease gunland this type of fitting.

Some couplers for use with this type of fitting l5 have been provided with means for mechanically locking the coupler to the fitting, while others used for the lubrication of. bearings equipped'A with this type of fitting have relied merely upon A pressure contact of the end ofthe fitting with theeoupler. The latter`v type of couplers are usually termed fnozzles and are illustrated for y example in O. U. Zerk Patent No. 1,475a980, and

' V. A. Boker Patent No. 1,802,700.

Such couplers as'have been used to make a 5 mechanical connection with -the headed type of 4lubricant; receiving fitting have generally utiliz d clamping .laws operated bylubricant pressure.

In the coupler of xny present invention I utilize jaws for mechanicallyl gripping the head of the riltting, but the jaws are moved into locking e11-l gagernent by means of a spring pressed sleeve. Furthermore,A I employ a spring and lubricant pressed sealing member which is slidable in the coupler and has a conical tip of sumciently small size'partially to penetrate the, inlet opening of proved coupler'showing the partsin the position v 50 assumed when supplying lubricant to a tting;

A Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view taken o the line 33 of Fig.` 2; Fig. 4 is an elevation of the body of the coupler andjaws, illustrating the'means utilized for hold- 55 ing thejjaws in place; j

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. .2 showing the parts in the positions assumed during the operation of disconnecting the coupler from the tting; and

Fig. 6 is a. perspective view of,.one of the jaws. `5

While in Fig, l I have shown a handoperated lubricant compressor of more or less conventional construction, it will be understood that the coupier of my invention may be used with any' desired form of high pressure lubricant compressor. For m.

purposes oi' illustration -my invention is shown as applied to a push type grease gun having .a barrel I0 in which apiston i2 is reciprocable. Thepiston is attached to a piston rod il whichpro- 'iects'through an end cap. I8 secured to the end of 15 the barrel and has a suitable handle I 8 secured thereto at its extremity.

A high pressure cylinder -20 is reciprocably mountdjin-the other end of the barrel Ill, being normally pressed outwardly by a compression coil spring 22. A'high pressure plunger. 24 is suitably securedwithin the barrel I0' and is'adapted to enter the high pressure cylinder 2liA when the latterl is pushed inwardly. The high fpressure cylinder 20 is in the form of a tube, the outer end 25 of which is internally threaded to receive a nipple 26, the latter being threaded in the body '28 ofthe coupler. In Fig. 1 the coupler is shown as attached to a lubricant receiving fitting VIll threaded into the oil hole of a bearing 32.`

The body 28 of the'houpler is axially bored to pr'ovidea cylinder 34 within which a sealing member 36 is freely reciprocable. A cup leather 38 and a cup leather former 40 are pressed against Athe inner facer of the sealing member 36' by a 35 compression coil spring 42, the innen end of which engages a ball check valve M and normally presses the latter against its seat-46 formed with-V in the nipple 2B. The sealing member 35 has a `substantially conical tip 48 provided with a small 40 diameter discharge passageway 50. The conical up 401s of sumeiennysmall diameter that 1t may enter the inlet opening 52 of the lubricant receiving iltiiig 30.A The -external surface of the body 28 has a plurality of grooves 5l formed 45 therein extending substantially from the mid portion of the body to the outer end thereof. In the form illustrated three such grooves 54 are shown; being best illustrated in Fig. '3. These grooves are conformed to receive jaws 56'. 50

Each ci the Jaws 56 has an inwardly projecting fitting engaging portion 58 whichhas an inner surface conformed to co tact with the lower surface ofthe head of the fit ingz and is provided with an arcuate groove to receive a spring wire 55 l2. The portions ofthe body 28 intermediate the laws are likewise provided with grooves 04 which register with the grooves 6I of the jaws, as best illustrated in Pig.4. 'Ihe spring wire 02 is in 5 the form of a substantially complete annulus and hasa hook-shaped end Il anchored in a hole 6B. A sleeve 'I0 surrounds the jaws 5l, and the lower portion of the body 2l, and is guided for reciprocatory sliding movement on the bodyvby av ring 10 '12 which is threaded in the upper end of the sleeve. A Vcoil spring 14 is compressed between the ring I2 and a shoulder 1I formed on the body 2l, portions of the-spring also resting upon the inner ends of the Jaws It. The outer end of the 15 sleeve 1l hasan inwardly projecting annular shoulder 'Il which is adapted to engagein complementally shaped recesses I I formed in the Jaws It and in the outer end of the body 2l.

In applying the coupler to a lubricant receiving nttlng the sleeve 1l is pushed inwardly relative to the body 28 to the position in which it is shown y in Fig. 5,v and the coupler as a whole pressed against a lubricant receiving ntting. The jaws in-ensasing the end of the ntting will be moved outwardly to the position in which4 they are shown in Fig. 5, thus permitting the head of the fitting to enter a guiding opening I2 formed in the outer end 'of the body 2l. 'Ihe body 28 is then moved toward the fitting, causing engage- `30; ment of the conical tip l. with the fitting, and

movingthe sealing member I6 inwardly from the position shown in Fig. 5,.to the position in which it ls shown in Fig. 2.

The sleeve 1l maythen be released, whereupon 352 the spring Il will retract the sleeve, causing'the shoulder 1l thereof to engage thejaws. and

camy the latter inwardly to the position shown in Fig; 2, in whichpition the sleeve locks the jaws against radial outward movement. -When in this 4o position it willbe'impossible to separate the coupler from the nttlng by pulling on the body 2l.

Upon applying lubricant pressure thel lubricant will be forced past the check valve 4l and exert pressure upon the' cup leather Il and thus press 45 the sealingmember 30 outwardly. AThe lubricant pressure is substantially concentrated upon the surface of contact'between the tip Il andthe edge of the tting surrounding its inlet opening,

so'that a very high unit pressure is obtained, and

sc as a result leakage of lubricant prevented. i

struction, may be economically manufactured,

and is very serviceable and durable even when subjected to hard usage. It will be effective to make a sealing connection vwith a\itting under substantially any reasonable pressure and may 15 be easily andquickly applied to and removed from the fitting.

Having thus described my invention, vwhat I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Pat- .ent of theUnited States is: 20

l. A coupler for high pressure lubricating systems utilizing headed lubricant receiving fittings, comprising a body having a plurality of longitudinally extending grooves upon the external surface thereof, a jaw in each o! said grooves, a ring 25 for holding said jaws in position in said-grooves,

a sleeve surrounding said jaws and longitudinally slidable upon said body, interengaging camming and locking surfaces on said jaws and said sleeve,

a spring to force said sleeve in a direction to cause 30 the jaws to be cammed radially inwardly in engagement with a iltting beneath thehead thereoi', and movable means in said body for making a lubricant tight connection with the tting.

2. In a high pressure lubricating apparatus of 33l the type employing headed lubricant receiving tltting's, the combination of a body having a cylin# drical bore and longitudinally extending grooves in the external surface thereof, a jaw positioned in each'of said grooves, a ringinterlocking said 40. 1 body and said Jaws against relative longitudinalv movement, a sleeve surrounding said jaws and having means to lock said iaws in position about the head of a lubricant receiving ntting, a spring to h old said sleeve in ia'w locking position, and meanswithin said cylindrical bore for making a lubricant tight connection with the fitting.

STEVEN J. KRANNAK. 5 0 

